Her Royal Highness, Leonor

Unknowing History

I vowed to myself that what I'm having in my chest is just pure admiration for Her Royal Highness, that's all. 

Yes, that's it, just pure, platonic admiration for someone who's had the privilege of sharing two Wednesday afternoons up close with one of the most famous Royal apparent to Europe's throne. I have a task to fulfill, and that's what I'm going to do to help the princess.

It just buggers me that every time I'll get a glimpse of those striking blue eyes I was forgetting I was merely another of so many people around her, bound to do their assignment, tasked to help. Nothing more, nothing less.

But one Wednesday afternoon whisked away all these thoughts to me when I had the princess all to myself once again.

This time, I was early. Earlier than I could ever be. The maid greeted me earlier and left me alone in the study room with plenty of coffee to sip - only that they don't have an effect on me as much as the jump in my chest when I finally saw Leonor again.

She was wearing this matching white and black leopard shirt and pants, her hair was tied up. Her face was lovelier than ever.

I was about to do the curtsy when she stopped me with a wave of her hand, chuckling, asking me to stop it. Though I reluctantly stopped, I just then gave her a simple bow.

We started as casually as we could, her reading her upcoming speech for the opening of the Children's school, me being the audience listening. I crossed some thoughts now and then, asked her if it's much better if we'll add something, and this goes on for the rest of the afternoon.

But just an hour before our session ended, finally reading the speech before in its clean version, she asked me if I'd like a tour of the library.

"Perdón, Leonor?"

I was surprised at my seat.

She stood up and gave me a warm smile, the kind that reaches her eyes.

"Come on, I'll show you around the Biblioteca."

I silently followed her as she led me outside the study room, and we were greeted by more library staff than I remembered. They were all in curtsies and nods, and I didn't even know how many turns and lefts we took before she led me to what seemed to be the largest library I'd seen in my life.

Our library back in the Colegio is nothing to compare to this. It's wide, it's majestic - it felt like the beast's library in that story or tale as old as time. I was admiring the tall buildings when she asked me to keep up, as she said there was something she wanted to show me.

After just a few more walks down the empty stacks of books, she stopped at a large painting, a painting I'd never seen before.

It shows two women, pointing at what seemed to be a sunrise or sunset, the taller woman wearing a maroon skirt, was pointing the light at the shorter woman wearing a blue skirt. It was a painting that seemed to be furnished with oil, and for some reason, it looked familiar, though I can't put a name on it.